Managing Hero Power Creep : Gold & Equipment

[whitebeard]

Acid trap: A highly corrosive acid sprays all over one random piece of equipment. The hero will need to instantly throw that item away.

Water: A hero with 4 or more in +Defense can't swim and must either discard armor down to the point where he is at +3 or lower. How to get them into water is your headache.

Magical guardian: An ugly little creature will open a magical passage for the heroes. At a price...

Blessing: Between quests a hero can pay a temple for a blessing. Once during the following quest he may re-roll 1 attack or defense roll.

I love it. The acid can also ruin artifacts.

Swimming can be the pit trap door in room #2. The heroes must swim to advance in the dungeon. When they return, the equipment is gone. It can all be re-purchased (including artifacts) at the armory. The Armorer bought it from a shady character (like you) just a few hours prior.

The Magical guardian can also be a complete pain in the neck, adding some role playing to the game for the kids. Is it role playing if I'm just being myself and giving them a hard time?

The availability of a blessing (for a donation to the temple) can be the result of a dice roll at the beginning of the quest. The type of blessing available depending on the school of the Elemental temple.

Thanks again GK

[Big Bene]

In the Dragon magazine, I once read an idea of "monsters" in the shape of gold coins, who eat other gold coins when the hero accidentely put them together. The longer they live in your purse before you detect them, the more gold is lost.

[whitebeard]

In the Dragon magazine, I once read an idea of "monsters" in the shape of gold coins, who eat other gold coins when the hero accidentely put them together. The longer they live in your purse before you detect them, the more gold is lost.

A generalization on the "Book Worm". Fantastic! Mites could eat armor or magic items / artifacts.

[j_dean80]

Don't forget the "friendly guide" that leads the Heroes to a lost Quest then pick-pockets a Hero as he runs off.

[cynthialee]

Special weapons for specific monsters.

Like the Spirit Blade is needed to harm the Witch Lord, and Silver is needed to defeat a werewolf.
If one extends this concept there is plenty of room for gold sink.

Say the quest note says that the big bad demon in the quest is harmed by a "Blessed Weapon made of Dwarf made Steel." All other weapons roll a mere one dice, but any weapon that is Blessed and made of the proper alloy gets full dice to attack the demon. Or even better a sick level of dice...
Against all other non demonic entities the weapon is a standard issue weapon.
Now the hero has to go pay the Dwarf weapon smith to make him a proper weapon, then he needs to take said weapon to the local temple to be blessed. Both of course requiring the expense of gold...

Or...
The beast that prowls this catacomb can only be slain by a weapon coated with an oil that costs a ton of cash to concoct. Even make it easy....any wizard or elf can make the stuff, but the cost is damn high.

or...(after they have all the magic items and nothing they have is not enchanted)
"The fairy lord is only harmed by the mundane. Your enchanted weapons and armor will be useless in this quest. Before you hunt the fairy lord you must divest yourselves of all magic and acquire mundane gear." (This one would hit my players hard. They are strapped.)

[slev]

I have several cards in my Evil Wizard deck to nix various equipment items. Even if you're not using them, you can at least steal the ideas!

[knightkrawler]

Same here. My Morcar deck has some nasty stuff. If it doesn't directly nullify equipment, it has the effect of heroes wanting to be faster. Ergo: less coinage in the forst place plus the want for banal stuff like rabbit boots for all and some such.
navigate through my dropbox and steal ideas.

[GimmeYerGold]

This is an idea that can slow power creep via the treasure deck. Standard NA rules are that gold and potions cards are not returned to the treasure deck during the current Quest.

What if unused potion cards are never returned to the treasure deck?

If a potion card is unused during the current Quest, the hero retains the treasure card with their character sheet for the next Quest. (This is handy for reference, as well). The next Quest's treasure deck will lack any unused potions cards that are held by the Heroes, thereby the level of danger in the deck increases, and is relative to the amount of potions the heroes have on hand. If the potion is used during a Quest, the card is returned to the deck in the usual way--only after that current quest is complete, and it will be included in the deck for the next quest as usual.

[j_dean80]

This is an idea that can slow power creep via the treasure deck. Standard NA rules are that gold and potions cards are not returned to the treasure deck during the current Quest.

What if unused potion cards are never returned to the treasure deck?

If a potion card is unused during the current Quest, the hero retains the treasure card with their character sheet for the next Quest. (This is handy for reference, as well). The next Quest's treasure deck will lack any unused potions cards that are held by the Heroes, thereby the level of danger in the deck increases, and is relative to the amount of potions the heroes have on hand. If the potion is used during a Quest, the card is returned to the deck in the usual way--only after that current quest is complete, and it will be included in the deck for the next quest as usual.

Won't this just deter Heroes from searching for treasure at all?

[cynthialee]

Anything that has potential to discourage treasure hunting is a bad idea. I have already had issues with players refusing to loot dungeons for fear of pulling a string of hazards. Removing the potions that are unused would raise the chances of a string of hazards.